North Allegheny girls hold off Bethel Park to reach PIAA Class 6A semifinals

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, March 16, 2018 | 9:57 PM

Spencer Stefko knows Bethel Park. The North Allegheny girls basketball coach saw plenty of the Black Hawks when he coached at nearby Seton La Salle.

He got another taste of the scenario Friday night, when undefeated North Allegheny survived another stiff challenge in the PIAA playoffs, turning aside Bethel Park, 44-34, in a quarterfinal game at Baldwin.

“It became a gut-check, and the kids passed the test,” Stefko said. “Bethel's leadership is so tough. They're talented at all five positions, wonderfully coached and they played great defense on us. We had to make shots.”

Courtney Roman scored 11 points, including a key 3-point shot late, and the WPIAL-champion Tigers (28-0) advanced to the semifinals to play Central Bucks South on Monday at a time and site to be determined.

District 1 runner-up Central Bucks South defeated District 11 fourth-place William Allen, 60-40, in the quarterfinals.

“We just were ready to take the court and enjoy another game together,” Roman said.

North Allegheny never trailed Bethel Park, but the Tigers were tested.

“I was just so proud of how the guys stuck with it in the second half,” Bethel Park coach Jonna Burke said. “We played better defensively in the second half, and that's how we wanted it the whole game. But they also missed some shots and we couldn't capitalize.

“They're a great defensive team, a great defensive team. They have a lot of weapons. You just miss a guy for a second, a 3-pointer; miss a guy for a second, a layup.”

The Black Hawks (19-7), who lost to North Allegheny, 57-43, during the regular season, nearly held the Tigers scoreless in the third quarter before Brynn Serbin's 3-point shot with 2 seconds left avoided the shutout and enabled North Allegheny to carry a 33-26 advantage into the fourth.

Serbin, who was a starter last season, has played mainly off the bench this year after an injury slowed her early on. She's back in the lineup following an season-ending knee injury to leading scorer Rachel Martindale in the WPIAL championship game.

Freshman Lizzy Groetsch scored 10 points for North Allegheny, going 10 for 10 from the free-throw line. On Tuesday, she sealed a 55-50 victory over Altoona in a second-round by scoring eight points from the line, including six in the final minute.

Bethel Park closed to 35-32 early in the fourth quarter on a 3-point shot by Kam Lach, who scored a team-high nine points, but the Black Hawks could get no closer.

Roman's 3-pointer with 1 minute, 38 seconds left gave North Allegheny an eight-point cushion, and the Tigers rode Groetsch's free-throw shooting the rest of the way.

“I just did the easy part,” Roman said of her timely shot from deep in the left corner and North Allegheny clinging to a five-point lead. “My teammates put me a good position to make a shot. I've practiced enough 3s. I didn't think anything of it. I just shot it like I did any other time.”

Said Burke: “That 3 was like a dagger.”

But Stefko, who coached Seton La Salle to two PIAA championship-game appearances, lauded Burke for the Black Hawks' effort.

“You're definitely concerned what the other team is doing when its a tight game like this,” Stefko said. “Give Bethel Park a ton of credit for being the kind of team that made this win special.

“Jonna is a really respected coach. I would rather see some fuzzy-cheeked guy who's only coached a couple of games.”

Burke countered without hesitation.

“If I'm a good coach, he's the best coach,” she said. “They're a great team. I'm very proud of my kids. To be playing in the middle of March, I didn't know we had this kind of run in us at this point of the season.”

Dave Mackall is a freelance writer.

Tags: Bethel Park, North Allegheny